FITA INSIGHTS
By
Biki John
Mar 10, 2021
4 min read
Despite COVID-19 or perhaps even more so because of it – there is a general need to find joy where one can and a family-oriented holiday like Easter presents itself as a key time to do so. Families will want to make the most of Easter and retailers see it as a time to make some financial gain.
With Easter approaching fast, and in light of the pandemic which has resulted in a shift in consumer behavior – apparel and footwear retailers are bound to seek different ways to persuade customers to shop on their online stores.
Here are 3 Easter tips to boost your e-commerce sales and put you ahead of the competition.
Don’t Play Hard to Get with Your Products
With all the Easter promotions customers have access to during the Spring season – they are spoilt for choice. Product saturation also means shoppers have a short attention span and want to be able to find what they want easily and quickly. Avoid frustrating their product search process by segmenting your products adequately. MakeWebBetter recommends the following segmentation: Easter Special offers for women, Easter Special offers for men, Get $25% OFF on purchase above $200…
This type of promotional segmentation allows for easy search and location by the customers which increases the chance of converting browsers to shoppers, and encouraging them to become repeat purchasers.
When selecting your Easter products aim for solving the problem of users at this time which is to choose the best Easter products at the most convenient price.
Give Your Channels an Easter Makeover
Give all your customer touchpoints an Easter makeover. From your website to your social media channels to your email newsletter – all should have a harmonized Easter flair.
Your newsletter is a great platform to hone your customers attention towards your best Easter sales and products. Design also plays a part in getting your followers in a shopping mood, so based on your brand and audience – use Easter-themed motifs.
To inspire and remind your customers about this Spring holiday, your website should showcase Easter banners, attractive website header or footer images, and photos. Set up your landing page with a Springtime theme that can serve as a home for all your Easter-themed products. Like we mentioned earlier, ensure your Easter items are properly categorized to facilitate smooth navigation from product to product amongst your users.
Your social media channels are a good way to create hype around your Easter products and influence shoppers. Trusted Shops advises retailers to use “hashtags, mention any sales, coupon codes, or anything else that you think is relevant. A great social media campaign has some personality to it, so don’t be afraid to be creative and have a little fun!”
Use Data to Streamline Products to fit the Current Needs of Customers
COVID-19’s disruption of the retail industry has birthed a contactless, virtual way of shopping due to store closures, lack of access to fitting rooms, travel restrictions and the general feeling of customers wanting to avoid crowded environments.
As digital consumption continues to grow as a result of this, this has put pressure on retailers to optimize their digital channels. There is also another consideration – product offerings. In McKinsey’s report, ‘The State of Fashion’, it’s explained that COVID-19 has demonstrated that more products, collections, and discounts do not necessarily lead to sales. Consequently, it’s advised that retailers shift their profitability mindset and value simplicity. Downsizing collections based on a demand-focused approach is what the report strongly recommends.
Speaking of a demand-focused approach, as consumer behaviour shifts from physical stores to online – shoppers still expect and demand that their favorite items have an ideal fit.
In light of these challenges, various publications have written articles recommending how shoppers can get the perfect fit while shopping online which includes using a brand’s size chart. However, the accuracy of size charts are frustrated by issues like requiring self-measuring, vanity sizing, and people’s different fit preferences.
This is where fit solutions come in. Fuelled by sophisticated machine learning algorithms, our size advisor tool – Fit Finder – is able to successfully match users to items that match their fit and style needs with only needing a series of fit questions answered.
Furthermore, at Fit Analytics, we are able to provide you with an innovative analytics tool that gathers insights needed to make data-driven decisions. These insights are grouped into various reports. With focus on a demand approach in retail, one of our reports tracks every time a user is unable to purchase their recommended size because it’s out of stock. This report makes it possible to know the exact demand by SKUand the lost revenue due to the stock.
Rather than focusing on remedying stock outs on a random basis, this report allows you to focus your energies on improving the inventory levels for items that will yield the biggest impact on your revenue.
Furthermore, other reports we provide include information about e-commerce behavior and inventory, as well as reports that help you build a profile of your customer (e.g. demographic and size-related information) that enhance targeted marketing campaigns, e.g. your Easter campaigns.
With the pandemic, experiencing financial gain as an online business is no simple task. However, with these actionable tips, apparel and footwear retailers can cater to their audience and drive Easter sales.
Images courtesy of Annie Spratt and Phu Dinh.
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